This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Sunday, January 17, 2016

I'm using up a few less-than-stellar (blurry) images today, starting with this 1956 shot of the Pirate Ship as seen from the Skyway. I like the blue Skyway bucket in the foreground. The cement pond (no critters!) that the ship sat in was no-frills at the time, but it still works.

From this angle we can see beyond the berm for quite a distance; Anaheim still appears to be mostly undeveloped and rural.

This next photo, also from 1956, was strangely faded for some reason. But we get a look at Geppetto's charming village as seen from Casey Jr. The detail and level of craftsmanship is really wonderful. In the upper left we see the candy-striped light posts from Fantasyland Station.

As a kid, I wanted to find somebody with a shrink-ray and LIVE in that village. Now I'm wondering what that would have been like.

I'm guessing that inside those buildings is probably the miniature version of a Hollywood backlot - lots of empty space and unfinished surfaces. But at least that giant incandescent bulb lighting the frosted windows would have kept me warm on a chilly January night...at least until they killed the power when the Park closed.

Chuck, I have one of those Big Little Books from childhood called "Mystery at Disneyland". From what I remember, the story involves little people living in the Storybook Land houses, but nobody knows they are living there.